thedrifter
07-05-06, 07:53 AM
Marines' down time has Arab influence on Fourth
By ANTONIO CASTANEDA, Associated Press
July 5, 2006
RAMADI, Iraq - It was a far cry from the Fourth of July parties a world away, but five U.S. Marines in one of Iraq's most dangerous cities celebrated with what they had: a hookah, relaxing exhales of strawberry-scented smoke and thoughts of home.
Other than a bigger meal being served at a base dining hall later that day, the U.S. holiday was no different than a regular day. Trucks and Humvees rumbled through this complex of palaces, the sun bore down on jogging U.S. troops, and Marines prepared for their next missions.
But on the edge of a converted building that served as Marine barracks, five lance corporals converged around a hookah, or a traditional Arab water pipe, for the latest of regular nighttime chatting sessions. Due to the insurgent mortar threat, the base was largely cloaked in darkness - though Marines could glimpse each other's silhouettes from coals that glowed orange as they took puffs.
"This is our way to escape from the world around us," said Matt Stephens, 20, of Birmingham, Ala. "We're sitting here by a river under moonlight. We're not in central Ramadi listening to gunfire."
The Marines from India Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment rested in midnight temperatures that still hovered near 100. Curls of smoke hovered above them as they exchanged jokes, talked about the war and lauded improved living conditions on their base.
But thoughts of wives, girlfriends and families thousands of miles away were hard to suppress for the Marines, all in their early 20s.
"For me (July 4) is just another chance to miss everyone. I have a really close family, and I know tomorrow everyone is going to be cooking out," said Tony Mallett, 21, of Orange, Mass.
Most Marines have missed numerous holidays and anniversaries because of a deployment schedule that had many on their third tour - first in Haiti, then two trips to Iraq - in as many years.
The Marines had their hookah that had become a center point for socializing after they ran out of DVDs to watch. They bought the pipe for about $45 from an Iraqi shop on their base, which also supplied them with flavored tobacco.
"We get to know people better. We get to be tighter. It's a communal thing," Mallett said after taking a puff from the gurgling pipe.
Ellie
By ANTONIO CASTANEDA, Associated Press
July 5, 2006
RAMADI, Iraq - It was a far cry from the Fourth of July parties a world away, but five U.S. Marines in one of Iraq's most dangerous cities celebrated with what they had: a hookah, relaxing exhales of strawberry-scented smoke and thoughts of home.
Other than a bigger meal being served at a base dining hall later that day, the U.S. holiday was no different than a regular day. Trucks and Humvees rumbled through this complex of palaces, the sun bore down on jogging U.S. troops, and Marines prepared for their next missions.
But on the edge of a converted building that served as Marine barracks, five lance corporals converged around a hookah, or a traditional Arab water pipe, for the latest of regular nighttime chatting sessions. Due to the insurgent mortar threat, the base was largely cloaked in darkness - though Marines could glimpse each other's silhouettes from coals that glowed orange as they took puffs.
"This is our way to escape from the world around us," said Matt Stephens, 20, of Birmingham, Ala. "We're sitting here by a river under moonlight. We're not in central Ramadi listening to gunfire."
The Marines from India Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment rested in midnight temperatures that still hovered near 100. Curls of smoke hovered above them as they exchanged jokes, talked about the war and lauded improved living conditions on their base.
But thoughts of wives, girlfriends and families thousands of miles away were hard to suppress for the Marines, all in their early 20s.
"For me (July 4) is just another chance to miss everyone. I have a really close family, and I know tomorrow everyone is going to be cooking out," said Tony Mallett, 21, of Orange, Mass.
Most Marines have missed numerous holidays and anniversaries because of a deployment schedule that had many on their third tour - first in Haiti, then two trips to Iraq - in as many years.
The Marines had their hookah that had become a center point for socializing after they ran out of DVDs to watch. They bought the pipe for about $45 from an Iraqi shop on their base, which also supplied them with flavored tobacco.
"We get to know people better. We get to be tighter. It's a communal thing," Mallett said after taking a puff from the gurgling pipe.
Ellie